So you’ve decided to rent out your house as an Airbnb or other short-term rental. That’s great! You’re in for an exciting and potentially lucrative endeavour. But before you list your property online and welcome your first guests, it’s important to think about how you’ll furnish and manage the space.
After all, you want guests to enjoy a comfortable, convenient stay so they leave 5-star reviews and book again in the future. That’s where smart home gadgets and appliances come in handy! Outfitting your rental with keyless entry, smart lighting, thermostats, voice assistants, and other tech gadgets can help create an amazing guest experience.
In this post, we’ll explore some of the best smart home devices to include in your furnished Airbnb rental or holiday home. We’ll look at how these gadgets can make your vacation rental more efficient to run and more appealing to guests. Let’s dive in!
Why Smart Home Tech for Your Aussie Rental?
Before we get into specific product recommendations, let’s look at why smart home tech is so useful for vacation rentals:
- Enhanced Convenience: Keyless entry, smart appliances, and voice assistants like Alexa make things effortless for guests.
- Remote Management: You can control devices like lights, locks, and thermostats from your smartphone anywhere.
- Energy Savings: Smart thermostats optimize heating and cooling when guests are out.
- Improved Guest Experience: Guests love and now expect tech amenities and conveniences when traveling.
- Automation: Take advantage of scheduling and automation features to enhance convenience.
Now let’s look at some of the top smart gadgets and tech to include in your furnished rental property.
Smart Locks
One of the best smart upgrades for an Airbnb is to install smart locks. These allow guests to check-in and enter your rental anytime without needing to pick up keys.
Popular options like Schlage, August, and Lockly locks allow you to assign unique entry codes to each guest. You can set their code to automatically expire after checkout. Some even work with home automation systems, like letting you disarm security systems and turn on lights when guests unlock the door.
Key benefits of smart locks:
- Keyless, hassle-free check-in
- Remote access control from your phone
- Custom entry codes for each guest
- Integration with other smart devices
- More secure than physical keys
Our Recommendation: August Smart Lock Pro
The August Smart Lock Pro is a great choice that’s easy to install. It works with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control and automation. It also has DoorSense technology that can tell you if your door is open or closed.
Smart Lighting
Automating lighting is another way to wow guests and make your property more convenient to manage. Smart light bulbs like Philips Hue can be controlled from your phone or paired with voice assistants.
Smart scheduling makes sure lights come on at night or turn off when guests leave. Motion sensors turn lights on automatically when guests enter a room.
Benefits of smart lighting:
- Voice control through Alexa or Google Home
- Schedule lights to turn on/off automatically
- Motion activation for convenience
- Set lighting scenes and groups
- Works remotely when you’re away
Our Recommendation: Philips Hue White Starter Kit
Philips Hue is the most popular and user-friendly smart lighting system. The starter kit comes with smart bulbs and a hub you need to control them from your phone. Super easy to set up scheduling, automation, and voice control.
Smart Thermostats
Controlling the temperature remotely is hugely beneficial for Airbnb hosts. Smart thermostats let you pre-cool or pre-heat the unit before guest arrival. Once checked in, your thermostat can automatically adjust to an energy-saving temperature when guests are away or asleep.
Having a smart thermostat like Ecobee means:
- Remote temperature adjustments
- Energy-saving schedules and automation
- Progress reports on energy usage
- Works with Alexa for voice control
- Can integrate with security systems
Our Recommendation: Ecobee SmartThermostat
Ecobee is our top pick for smart thermostats. We love the room sensor capability and built-in Alexa voice assistant. The Ecobee app makes scheduling and remote adjustments a breeze.
Smart Speakers
Don’t forget to furnish your Airbnb with smart speakers! Alexa and Google Home devices allow hands-free voice control for guests to access music, information, automate devices and more.
Having an Echo Dot or Google Nest Mini provides:
- Voice control for music and entertainment
- Answers questions about local area
- Voice automation for smart devices
- Easy smart home management
- Accessible hands-free experience
Our Recommendation: Echo Dot
The compact Echo Dot smart speaker packs Alexa and solid sound into a small package. Put one in every room at an affordable price.
Smart Appliances
Outfitting your rental with smart washing machines, dryers, fridges, ovens and dishwashers can provide guests with next-level convenience. Brands like Samsung, LG, and Whirlpool now offer appliance models that work with Alexa, Google Assistant or via apps.
Benefits of smart appliances:
- Voice commands for added convenience
- Get notifications if appliances are left on
- Remotely start wash cycles or preheat oven
- Troubleshooting diagnostics
- Save energy with smart schedules
Recommendation: LG Smart Front Load Washer / Dryer
LG’s smart washers and dryers can be controlled right from your phone. Start cycles, monitor progress and get notified when laundry is done.
Remote Management Systems
For serious vacation rental owners, a dedicated smart home management system like Guesty or Hostfully can be worth the investment. These offer robust tools perfect for Airbnbs including:
- Central dashboard to control all devices
- Smart scheduling and automation
- Detailed analytics and reporting
- Guest messaging and screening
- Lock management and virtual keys
- And much more!
Having a consolidated system makes life easier through advanced automation. It adds a polished, professional touch to your rental management operations.
Which Smart Devices Does Your Aussie Rental Need?
Hopefully this overview gives you ideas on great smart home gadgets to include in your Airbnb or furnished rental property. The right technologies can take guest convenience and property management to the next level. Just remember to tailor device selection to each rental.
Not all properties need every smart product. Think about your budget, features, size and typical guest demographics. A remotely located beach house might benefit from smart locks and lights. But a centrally located apartment could also include voice assistants and video doorbells in the mix.
